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A healthy scratch Sunday in Vancouver, he has struggled this season and there is no guarantee he’ll suit up against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place either.

Murray is convinced Cowen can contribute.

“I think the biggest thing with Jared, without a doubt, is missing a year. He’s a big, rangy kid, his coordination will be better as we go forward. He has struggled in some games, and mentally, it has really bothered him,” said Murray Monday.

“I think that confidence in this game ... everybody goes through that cycle, and I think Jared had gone through it (where his confidence is down), has been a minus player in a couple of games in a row, and he wants to be good. He’s going to be good. I can envision him in a couple of years from being a real important player for the organization. He is now, we just need him to take another small step over the balance of the year to help us.”

Cowen, signed to a four-year, $12.4 million deal in September, is still hampered by the hip surgery that forced him to miss last year.

“We were very anxious to get him back and playing this year. We hurried him into it and maybe in hindsight, just being a more limited role at the start would have forced him to spend a little bit more time on the practice ice and helped him in that way, but hindsight’s a wonderful thing,” said Murray. “We have to look forward with him and, as I say, I have great confidence he’s going to be a very important player in this organization over the next number of years.”

KEEP BATTLING: Just win. That’s the only option left for the Senators as they battle for a playoff spot in the East with only 21 games left in the regular season. A sweep of this Western road swing — which makes a stop in Edmonton Tuesday — would go a long way in helping the club to try to close the gap in the East in a race that will go to the wire. A 4-2 comeback victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Sunday’s Heritage Classic couldn’t have been bigger.

“It (was) an important game,” said captain Jason Spezza. “We only have so many games left so you have to try to pick up points when you can. When we lost the four-pointer to Detroit (Thursday) we knew that put us in a tougher position than when we started before the (Olympic) break. It’s a big win.”

CLARKE’S CORNER: Ottawa LW Clarke MacArthur is happy about playing two games on home soil Tuesday and Wednesday. The native of Lloydminster is looking forward to seeing his parents and family when the Senators make stops in Edmonton and Calgary. “I guess I’ll have a few people in both cities so that will be nice,” said MacArthur. “It’s always nice to come out West and get a few games in. I’ve got a bunch of friends here from Lloyd so it’s always an exciting trip. It’s nice to be able to see family.” Scoring Sunday in Vancouver was nice for MacArthur. Not only did he end a nine-game drought, he also had a chance to play in a stadium game. A reporter noted to MacArthur he was sent down by the Sabres just before they played in the first ever Winter Classic in 2008 at Ralph Wilson stadium in front of 71,000 fans. “What a great experience,” said MacArthur. He kept up his success against Canadian team. According to Elias Sports, he has 6-6-12 in the 10 games the Senators have played vs. Canadian opponents. He has a point in nine of those 10 games.

COME ON DOWN: There is a good chance the Senators could get an Outdoor game in 2017 at Lansdowne Live vs. the Montreal Canadiens. The club has been in negotiations with the league and it would make sense for it to happen for a lot of reasons. D Marc Methot, an Ottawa native, said he’d like to play in one of these at home. “I’d love to see one of these in Ottawa Who wouldn’t?,” asked Methot. “We have some pretty good rivalries with some teams that are pretty nearby like Toronto and Montreal. I’m sure you could think of others. It would be a great opportunity and seeing Ottawa is such a huge hockey town I think we’d draw pretty well.”

Ottawa Senators GM Bryan Murray still high on Jared Cowen

A healthy scratch Sunday in Vancouver, he has struggled this season and there is no guarantee he’ll suit up against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place either.

Murray is convinced Cowen can contribute.

“I think the biggest thing with Jared, without a doubt, is missing a year. He’s a big, rangy kid, his coordination will be better as we go forward. He has struggled in some games, and mentally, it has really bothered him,” said Murray Monday.

“I think that confidence in this game ... everybody goes through that cycle, and I think Jared had gone through it (where his confidence is down), has been a minus player in a couple of games in a row, and he wants to be good. He’s going to be good. I can envision him in a couple of years from being a real important player for the organization. He is now, we just need him to take another small step over the balance of the year to help us.”